In-line hand rail and mounting



Feb. 8, 1966 J. B. SCHROER 3,233,871

IN-LINE HAND RAIL AND MOUNTING Filed April 22, 1963 INVENTOR JOHN B SCHROER BY 7% I 21- ATTORNEY:

United States Patent Ofi 3,233,871 Patented Feb. 8, 1966 3,233,871 lN-LINE HAND RAIL AND MOUNTING John B. Schroer, 1127 Western Ave, Las Vegas, Nev. Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 274,504 6 Claims. (Cl. 256-69) 'walls and floors.

In order to provide an attractive mounting it has heretofore usually been necessary to employ relatively complex connections and these have usually had parts overlapping or disposed side by side, all of which may detract from the ornamental appearance and be undesirable from a functional standpoint.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple railing mounting or connection by means of which the rails and posts may be easily connected in a variety of combinations and angles and using a minimum number of parts.

A further object is the provision of rail mounting which is adapted to the connection of rail members at various angles and arrangements and in which all of the parts are in-line with the posts and without having any connecting parts or rails disposed side-by-side.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a stairway and platform having railing structure in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2, an enlarged fragmentary detail of a post having a railing connected at right angles;

FIG. 3, a fragmentary detail illustrating the attachment to a post of rails in the same plane but at different angles;

FIG. 4, an enlarged fragmentary perspective of a post having rails connected thereto at diverse angles and located in perpendicular planes;

FIG. 5, a section of preferred post construction;

FIG. 6, a detail illustrating a spacer in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7, a fragmentary detail of an adapter in accord-.

countersunk to provide a ledge for seating the base of an adapter plug which is connected to the base by a fastener extending through the adapter and into the post. The adapter has spaced annular portion of a size to be snugly received within a railing and connected by a conical portion adapted to engage a fastener extending through the railing. The invention also includes the provision of a post for receiving a standard pipe of smaller size in order 'that the mounting of the post may be concealed, and having increased depth of thread portionsto which secure connection may be made.

With further reference to the drawing, there is illus-' trated a building having stairs, landings and a balcony and with railing in accordance with the present invention mounted thereon. The railing consists of floor and Wall mounted posts 11 connected by handrails 12 extending at various angles to the posts and to each other.

FIG. 2 illustrates the mounting of a post to a horizontal rail. The post 11 has a cap 13 at its upper end received within a countersunk recess and secured by a flush fastener 14 adjacent to the upper end of the post. The handrail 12 is attached to the post by means of a spacer 15 and an adapter plug 16.

The spacer has a plain end 17 with a countersunk rim 18 and its other end is shaped like a saddle with extended portions 19 and valleys or recesses 21). The saddle is shaped to conform to the post in order to provide snug engagement therewith of the spacer at the desired angle of connection, and conceals the fastener 14.

The adapter plug is substantially disk-shaped and has an enlarged base 21, spaced annular portions 22, 23 and an inclined substantially conical connecting portion 24. The conical portion tapers outwardly from the annular portion 22 which is adjacent to the base 21.

The adapter plug base 21 is of a size to be snugly received within the countersunk recess 18 of the spacer 15. The annular portions 22, 23 are of a size to be snugly received within a conventional handrail 12.

In order to secure the assembly to a post, a screw fastener 25 having a threaded portion 26, an unthreaded neck 27 and an enlarged head 28 is passed through the bore 29 of the adapter plug into threaded engagement with an aperture 30 in the wall of the post.

The fastener 25 preferably has an enlarged head in order to facilitate manual manipulation and has wrenchreceiving surfaces 28' for final tightening or initial loosening thereof.

In order to attach the rail 12 to the spacer and adapter plug assembly, the end of the rail is placed over the plug and its edge brought into contiguous relation with the end 17 of the spacer. Then a fastener 32, preferably a set screw, is threaded through the end portion and into engagement with the conical surface 24 of the adapter plug. Due to the inclination of the adapter plug surface, any tendency of the set screw to slip is overcome, thereby maintaining snug engagement of the parts.

In making a connection such as in FIG. 3, in which the handrail 12 is angularly disposed to the post 11, the spacer is provided with a saddle end shaped with a deeper valley on one side than on the other in order to snugly engage the post at the appropriate angle. The adapter is attached at the appropriate angle by having its bore 2% angularly disposed and having a seat 34 parallel to the post axis, the fastener engaging the post at right angles thereto.

In the event that a pair of rails are attached to a post transversely so that the spacers overlap as in FIG. 4, one of the spacers 35 has its saddle modified with an auxiliary cut or recess 36 to receive the portion of the adjacent spacer 37 which it overlaps.

In connecting a post to a wall as indicated in FIG. 9, a

wall flange or collar 40 is employed, having a base 41 and a bore 42 with a countersunk recess 43. The countersunk recess is of a size to receive the base 21 of an adapter plug which is secured to the wall, holding the collar thereto by a threaded fastener received in suitable means mounted in the wall. The rail or coupling 45 is then placed over the annular portions 22, 23 and secured thereto by fastener 46.

In order to provide a relatively light weightpost from material such as aluminum and afford adequate strength, it is preferable to employ a post whose wall has relatively thick portions in order to provide a greater length of threads for the threaded fastener to engage.

For the foregoing purposes, it is preferable to use post material having alternately transversely spaced lands and grooves, spaced, for example, 90 degrees. By this provision, rails may be attached to the posts at any quadrant and the attaching fastener received in a relatively thick portion of the post. Such post also has substantially increased resistance to bending.

In order to attach the post to a horizontal building structure, as in FIG. 8, a preferred mounting is to affix a pipe 5% in structure with a length extending upwardly and of a diameter to be received within the post and secured thereto by a fastener 51 adjacent to the lower end of the post and engaging the stub of the pipe. A collar or flange 52 is preferably positioned around the pipe and has a countersunk recess 53 receiving the end of the post.

Although the invention is especially adapted for railings for buildings, it is also useful in related structures such as scaffoldings, ladders, braces and the like.

Accordingly, it will be understood that the rail mounting of the present invention provides a simple, strong and economical means by which railing may be connected to posts at various horizontal and vertical angles, and to vertical and horizontal building structure, and in which all of the portions of a post and its directly attached rail mounting are in line and thus without having any rails mounted side-by-side.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A combination handrail and post mounting comprising a post, a cylindrical hand rail, and a supporting fitting for mounting said hand rail on said post, said supporting fitting comprising a spacer having a circular end portion,

said end portion having a countersunk recess,

the other end of such spacer having a saddle configuration and adapted to embrace the side of the post,

an adapter plug,

said adapter plug having an enlarged base,

spaced annular portions extending from said base and separated by a conical portion tapering from the annular portion next to the base outwardly to the remote annular portion,

said recess in said spacer snugly receiving the base of said adapter plug,

the annular portions of said adapter being of a size to be snugly received Within said handrail,

a threaded aperture in said hand rail, said aperture spaced from the end of the rail which receives said plug a distance greater than the axial length of the annular portion contiguous to the enlarged base but less than the distance from the enlarged base to the annular portion which is spaced from the enlarged base,

a threaded fastener extending through said aperture, and engaging the conical portion of said adapter,

and a threaded fastener extending through said adapter from end-to-end and in threaded engagement with said post.

2. A supporting fitting for mounting a rail on a post, said supporting fitting comprising a spacer having a plain end portion, the other end of such spacer having a saddle configuration and adapted to embrace the side of a post, an adapter plug, cooperating means on the end of the spacer opposite the saddle configuration and on the adapter plug for receiving the adapter plug and permitting relative rotation between the spacer and the adapter, said adapter plug having an enlarged base, said spacer abutting the base of said adapter, the remaining portion of said adapter having spaced annular portions of a size to be snugly received within said rail, said spaced annular portions being separated by a portion of reduced diameter,

a rail to be mounted, a threaded aperture in said rail, said aperture spaced from the end of the rail which received the plug a distance greater than the axial length of the annular portion contiguous to the enlarged base but less than the distance to the annular portion which is spaced from the enlarged base,

fastener means extending through said rail and adjacent to the end thereof and engaging said adapter, and

fastener means extending through said adapter for threaded engagement with said post.

3. The invention of claim 2 in which said rail is attached to a wall by wall mounting structure, said wall mounting structure comprising a coliar having a countersunk opening and positioned adjacent to said wall, an adapter plug having a base portion received within the countersunk opening, a fastener through said adapter and attached to the wall, the remote end of said rail re ceiving said plug, and fastening means extending through said remote end of said rail into an engagement with said adapter.

4. A combination hand rail and post mounting comprising a post,

a hand rail,

and a supporting fitting for mounting said hand rail on said post, said supporting fitting comprising a spacer having a plain end portion, the other end of such spacer having a saddle configuration and adapted to embrace the side of the post,

an adapter plug having an enlarged base,

said spacer abutting the base of said adapter,

said adapter plug having spaced annular portions of a size to be snugly received within the hand rail,

said annular portions being separated by a portion of reduced diameter,

a threaded aperture in said hand rail, said aperture spaced from the end of the rail which received said plug a distance greater than the axial length of the annular portion contiguous to the enlarged base but less than the distance from the enlarged base to the annular portion which is V spaced from the enlarged base,

fastener means extending through said aperture and engaging the portion of reduced diameter of said adapter,

fastener means extending through said adapter and in threaded engagement With-said post,

said fastener extending through said adapter at an acute angle to the axis of said adapter and the saddle portion of said spacer engaging said post With the axis ofsaid spacer at an acute angle to said post, said adapter and spacer being co-axial.

5. A combination hand rail and post mounting comprising a post,

a hand rail,

and a supporting fitting for mounting said hand rail on said post,

said supporting fitting comprising a spacer having a plain end portion, the other end of such spacer having a saddle configurationand adapted to embrace the side of the post, an adapter plug having an enlarged base, said spacer abutting the base,

of said adapter, said adapter plug having spaced annular portions of a size to be snugly received within the hand rail, said annular portions being separated by a portion of reduced diameter,

a threaded aperture in said hand rail, said aperture spaced from the end of the rail which receives said plug a distance greater than the axial length of the annular portion contiguous to the enlarged base but less than the distance from the enlarged base to the annular portion which is spaced from the enlarged base,

fastener means extending through said aperture and engaging the portion of reduced diameter of said adapter,

fastener means extending through said adapter and in threaded engagement with said post,

and a second rail mounted on said post at right angles to the first mentioned rail, said second rail being mounted by a spacer and an adapter like that of said first rail,

the spacer of said second rail having a recess in its saddle portion accommodating the portion of the saddle portion of the first rail spacer which it overlaps.

6. A combination hand rail and post mounting comprising a post, a hand rail, and a supporting fitting for mounting said hand rail on said post,

said supporting fitting comprising a spacer having a plain end portion, the other end of such spacer having a saddle configuration and adapted to embrace the side of the post,

an adapter plug having an enlarged base,

said spacer abutting the base of said adapter, said adapter plug having spaced annular portions of a size to be snugly received within the hand rail, said annular portions being separated by a portion of reduced diameter,

a threaded aperture in said hand rail, said aperture spaced from the end of the rail which received said plug a distance greater than the axial length of the annular portion contiguous to the enlarged base but less than the distance from the enlarged base to the annular portion which is spaced from the enlarged base,

fastener means extending through said aperture and engaging the portion of reduced diameter of said adapter,

fastener means extending through said adapter and in threaded engagement with said post,

said rail mounted adjacent to the top of said post,

said post having a cap with a portion thereof received in its upper end portion,

fastening means extending through the top of said post and engaging said cap to secure the cap to said post,

the spacer being positioned with its saddle portion lying outwardly of said fastener whereby said fastener is concealed from view.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,840,048 1/1932 Michelman 256- 2,714,026 7/1955 Schultz 287-2 2,815,937 12/1957 Curtze et al. 256-21 2,834,621 5/1958 Schroer 25665 2,866,657 12/1958 Dufiy 28754 2,930,638 3/1960 Morrissey 25665 2,999,671 9/ 1961 Blayden 25667 3,026,080 3/1962 Thurnauer 25665 FOREIGN PATENTS 893,983 4/ 1962 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. 

2. A SUPPORTING FITTING FOR MOUNTING A RAIL ON A PAST, SAID SUPPORTING FITTING COMPRISING A SPACER HAVING A PLAIN END PORTION, THE OTHER END OF SUCH SPACER HAVING A SADDLE CONFIGURATION AND ADAPTED TO EMBRACE THE SIDE OF A POST, AN ADAPTER PLUG, COOPERATING MEANS ON THE END OF THE SPACER OPPOSITE THE SADDLE CONFIGURATION AND ON THE ADAPTER PLUG FOR RECEIVING THE ADAPTER PLUG AND PERMITTING RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN THE SPACER AND THE ADAPTER, SAID ADAPTER PLUG HAVING AN ENLARGED BASE, SAID SPACER ABUTTING THE BASE OF SAID ADAPTER, THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID ADAPTER HAVING SPACED ANNULAR PORTIONS OF A SIZE TO BE SNUGLY RECEIVED WITHIN SAID RAIL, SAID SPACED ANNULAR PORTIONS BEING SEPARATED BY A PORTION OF REDUCED DIAMETER, A RAIL TO BE MOUNTED, A THREADED APERTURE IN SAID RAIL, SAID APERTURE SPACED FROM THE END OF THE RAIL WHICH RECEIVED THE PLUG A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE AXIAL LENGTH OF THE ANNULAR PORTION CONTIGUOUS TO THE ENLARGED BASE BUT LESS THAN THE DISTANCE TO THE ANNULAR PORTION WHICH IS SPACED FROM THE ENLARGED BASE, FASTENER MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID RAIL AND ADJACENT TO THE END THEREOF AND ENGAGING SAID ADAPTER, AND FASTENER MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID ADAPTER FOR THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID POST. 